I wrote back in January about how I am trying to worry less in 2024. My solution to worrying less was adding more. More learning, more fun, more spontaneity. Adding more doesn’t necessarily mean being busier. In fact, part of my intention was to slow down. If I am too busy, I don’t have time to add more of the fun stuff. But y’all… Slowing. Down. Is. Hard.
We have very fun (but weird) jobs where we have to always be producing something. Small business owners know that you have to hustle in order to make a living. You’re not part of a large corporation where people can fill in. Your success (or failure) is a direct correlation of your work.
And it’s a lot of pressure.
Don’t Work Yourself To Death
This week on our podcast, we interviewed Celeste Headlee, author of Do Nothing: How To Break Away From Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving. I have to admit some of her advice about how to stop overworking did not seem like it was feasible for small business owners like Penn and I. It was refreshing to hear even Celeste (who is self-employed) didn’t believe that slowing down could lead to the same, if not more success. “I also did not believe this,” Celeste explained in reference to working less. “…but there’s a few things here. Number one, the way that we work when we’re working all the time is incredibly inefficient.”
Working too much can be terrible for your health (working over 50 hours per week can lead to earlier death.) Celeste shared with us that several studies have shown people can complete their jobs in less time because they prioritize what’s important. She recommends having blocks of deep focus without your email or phone distracting you. In fact, your IQ goes down by 12-14 points when you have your email open while working.
Breaking My Addiction To Busy
Celeste gave us great advice like setting opening and closing hours for yourself, and if you work from home, making sure you have a dedicated place to work. I plan to do an audit of my time like Celeste suggested and see where I can make changes. (I also love her non-tech tools ideas!) I have to admit I am addicted to being busy. It’s very uncomfortable for me not to be. But I am going to try to adopt some of these suggestions.
Do you have a hard time slowing down? Listen to the show and let us know if it gave you some ideas on how to stop overworking.
